Easy Pork Stir-Fry

FYI Bobby has had my computer hijacked for weeks now...so he's making dinner updates very difficult! Here's a quick and easy recipe I made this week from Kraftfoods.com (which is a great website if you don't already get their emails).

Easy Pork Stir Fry

1 lb. pork tenderloin, cut into thin slices

1 cup sliced carrots

1/2 cup Kraft Light Asian Toasted Sesame Dressing

1/3 cup BBQ Sauce--we use Jack Daniels, it's DELICIOUS

1 cup snow peas or sugar-snap peas

1/4 cup chopped cocktail peanuts
2 c brown rice or 1 c quinoa

Cook rice or quinoa according to package directions. Heat large skillet sprayed with cooking spray on medium-high heat. Add pork and carrots; cook 5 min., stirring occasionally. Stir in dressing and barbecue sauce; stir-fry 5 min. on medium heat or until carrots are crisp-tender. Add snow peas; cook 2 min. Top with peanuts and serve over brown rice or quinoa.

In the store I couldn't find just a plain pork tenderloin, so I got a Peppercorn flavored one, and it still worked really well.

Bourbon and Brown Sugar Baby Back Ribs

OK since this recipe makes 6lbs of ribs, that's kind of all we've eaten this week! But this is great if you like ribs but don't like all the fuss, and especially great if you love your slow-cooker/crock-pot because it just makes life soooo easy!

Bourbon & Brown Sugar Baby Back Ribs

2 tbs ground cumin
2 tbs chili powder
2 tbs brown sugar
4 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp salt (which we omitted)
1 tsp ground black pepper
4-6 lbs baby back pork ribs
2/3c your favorite bourbon (we used Buffalo Trace)
1/2 c brown sugar, packed
1/2 c chili sauce

In a small mixing bowl, combine cumin, chili powder, 2 tbs brown sugar, coriander, cinnamon, salt and pepper. Stir thoroughly to combine. Cut rack of ribs into chucks of 3-4 ribs (hope you've got some good kitchen scissors for this!). Rub spice mix all over the ribs and place into the crock-pot. In another small bowl, mix together the bourbon, 1/2 c brown sugar, and chili sauce--pour mixture all over the ribs. Cover with the lid and cook on LOW for 8-10 hours (we did 8.5 and the meat fell off the bone, it was delicious). Occasionally lift lid and brush excess sauce over the ribs on top.

And I served with homemade mashed potatoes.

Mashed Potatoes for 2

3 medium potatoes, peeled and quartered
1/2 c sour cream
1/2 butter
salt & pepper to taste

Boil potato quarters until they're soft (stick a fork and determine how easily the fork goes in). Drain the water from the pan once finished, but keep the potatoes in the pan. Add butter and sour cream to the pan. Use a potato masher to combine until it's no longer lumpy. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve.

And you too can eat for a week!!!

Rosemary-Dijon Pork Chops

While this dinner from last night wasn't my favorite (pork chops in general are not my favorite), Bobby was quite pleased. And it is nothing if not super-easy and pretty quick for a weeknight.
Courtesy of www.kraftfoods.com.

Rosemary-Dijon Pork Chops and Potatoes

1 lb. potatoes (about 3 small), cut into 1-inch chunks

1/4 cup Light Italian Dressing

2-4 bone-in pork chops (1-1/2 lb.), 1/2 inch thick

4 tsp. Dijon Mustard

1 package of Shake-n-Bake

1/4 tsp. dried rosemary leaves, crushed

Heat oven to 375°F. Toss potatoes with dressing in microwaveable bowl. Microwave on HIGH 7 min., stirring after 4 min. Spread pork chops with mustard. Mix coating mix and rosemary in shallow dish. Add pork chops; turn over to evenly coat both sides of each chop. Place in center of foil-lined baking sheet (faster clean-up later) that has been Pam-ed; surround with potatoes. Bake 30 minutes or until the pork chops are done (160 degrees) and potatoes are tender.

And now we're going to get some Costco pizza!

Southwestern Chicken Pizza

One more and then I really have to leave for work. We had this one yesterday and it's very yummy. It's a take off of one of my favorite CPK pizzas.

Southwestern Chicken Pizza

1 Boboli or other pizza crust (we use wheat thin crust Boboli)
2 chicken breasts or 4-5 chicken tenders
1/2 package Taco seasoning (optional)
1 can black beans (drained)
1 small can of green chiles
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup shredded pepperjack cheese
1/2 cup verde or green chile sauce
1 tbs olive oil

Dice chicken into cubes with kitchen scissors or knife and cook in medium pan. If desired add taco seasoning to chicken while cooking. While the chicken is cooking, in a small saucepan, heat the drained black beans and the undrained small can of green chiles until the beans are soft. Once soft, use a potato masher to mash the beans into a paste--can be a little lumpy. Spread the tbs. of olive oil onto the pizza crust to soften it. Then add the mashed bean/chile paste as your sauce--spread evenly. Then top with pepperjack and mozzarella cheeses. Add cooked chicken. Then finish by dousing the pizza with a little bit of verde sauce all over for flavor. Follow cooking directions for pizza crust--usually 350 for 10-15 minutes.

Makes a great leftover for lunch too!

Crab Cakes

OK I've made several of my favorite recipes lately, but have been working a lot on the computer so I haven't actually sat down to write them out recently, so sorry! Esp. to those specifically waiting on this one :-) Crab cakes are super easy and always a favorite in warmer months. You can make tiny crab cakes for appetizers or larger ones to serve with your favorite side (I usually pair with stuffed tomatoes.)

Crab Cakes

Approx. 1lb canned crab (2-3 cans, and get the most expensive kind because it'll be better)
1 cup mayonnaise
2 tbs. fresh diced basil
2 tbs. fresh diced mint
2 tbs. fresh diced cilantro
1/2 bunch diced green onions
2 tsp. fish sauce (find in Asian foods section of store)
2 cups Panko crumbs (find in Asian foods section of store)
1/2 cup sweet chili sauce to top (find in Asian foods section of store, and optional)

Mix all of these together! Bet you thought it'd be complicated didn't you? I recommend dicing the basil, mint, cilantro and green onions with some good kitchen scissors. Heat oven to 350. Form cakes of desired size with your hands or a spoon, and place on a Pam-ed baking sheet. Cook for 15 and top with the sweet chili sauce if desired.